High intensity training! We all know it as a great form of exercise that makes use of high intensity intervals. The timer beeps and off you go on a mission to get as many reps in as possible before the time signals the end of the interval. It is a great form of training to get you sweating and burning those calories in a relatively short space of time. But how many of you have heard of HIRT?

What is HIRT?

High Intensity Resistance Training or HIRT is similar to HIIT training in many ways. HIIT training makes use of high intensity intervals that are generally in the form of time with short recovery periods. The idea is to train maximally for the duration of the interval using exercises that incorporate a cardiovascular element. Exercises such as kettlebell swings are good examples that utilise the full body and combined with high reps will send the heart rate sky high.

HIRT is similar in many ways. It makes use of intervals with short recovery periods, but it is structured so that its main goal is strength rather than achieving a high heart rate. It does this by selecting multi-jointed resistance exercises and intervals that are generally structured by reps and not time based. A short recovery period follows each exercise before you move onto the next exercise. There is much more focus on the exercise form in HIRT whereas in HIIT the exercise tempo is much higher to allow as many reps as possible, but this comes at the expense of exercise form.

What Are The Benefits of High Intensity Resistance Training?

HIRT combines the best of both the strength training and HIIT training worlds. The benefits include -

• Muscle Growth - muscle growth is largely stimulated by fatigue in the muscles. By performing higher reps with resistance, you are able to cause the fatigue that is required to promote muscle growth.

• Muscle Strength - strength gains are made when the musculoskeletal system has to work against resistance. As the muscle adapts and gets stronger you are able to move more weight. This effect can be lost in HIIT training where a higher heart rate is more important than the resistance effect.

• Post Exercise Calorie Expenditure (EPOC) - HIIT training is known to have a positive effect on the number of calories that you burn post exercise. HIRT has the same effect whereby the body utilises calories long after the training has finished.

• Weight Loss - weight loss can occur due to both muscle gain as well as the post exercise calorie expenditure. By increasing muscle size, you increase the calorie requirement of the body to keep the muscles functioning. Along with the post exercise calorie expenditure you are able to create a calorie deficit leading to weight loss.

• Training Time - one of the advantages of HIIT training is that it doesn’t require long training times with long rests between exercises, making it an effective training tool to fit training into your schedule. HIRT also reduces the time required between sets, allowing you to get a great workout in under 30 minutes.

• Low Impact - HIIT has a lot of high impact exercises such as burpees. While these types of exercises are good, too much high impact can affect the joints. HIRT on the other hand does not use explosive exercises.

• Cardiovascular Health - HIRT can help improve your cardiovascular system by having the muscles continuously working, which requires a greater blood flow. The oxygen demand is obviously lower than what a HIIT workout would be, but the main focus is still on strength.

How to Incorporate High Intensity Resistance Training

Structure your workout to have a series of exercises in a circuit. The circuit can be set up so that each exercise requires a certain number of reps or a set time to complete for each exercise. I would recommend working with reps. This eliminates the urge to train faster so you can focus on the exercise form to ensure that you don’t turn your HIRT into a HIIT session. By selecting reps, you are also able to determine the correct load for each exercise more accurately as you will have an idea of what weight to select to reach the required number of reps. It is also best to select multi-jointed exercises to strengthen more muscles and burn more calories in a single exercise.

• Reps - The number of reps should be on the high side of resistance training. Select a load that will allow you to complete the 8 - 12 reps. The higher number of reps, opposed to reps of 6 and below, will create the fatigue required for hypertrophy.

• Load - Select a load that you can complete the number of reps. If the load is too great, then you end up reducing the number of reps and the amount of muscle fatigue is reduced.

• Recovery Period - The rest period comes at the end of the circuit and can range from 1 - 2 minutes. If the rest period is too short, you will end up reducing the number of reps which is not ideal to get the full training effect of HIRT. However, the rest period shouldn’t be longer than two minutes as the goal is to build up fatigue.

• Equipment - HIRT generally makes use of free weights. A good place to start with equipment is to have free weights that include Adjustable Dumbbells or a range of dumbbells,Kettlebells, an adjustable weight bench and some resistance bands.

• Recovery Days - Due to the high demand placed, the muscles experience more damage, which is good in the long run as those tears cause more muscle fibres to be formed. However, to allow proper recovery you should have at least a day's rest or alternative training between HIRT sessions.

Full Body HIRT Workout

Complete 3 circuits of the following routine with 1 - 2 minutes rest between sets. Don’t rush the exercise and focus on the correct form. Your exercise tempo should be 3.0.2, meaning that the eccentric or lowering section of the exercise should last 3 seconds and then without pausing perform the concentric part of the exercise for 2 seconds. Once you have completed the entire circuit three times you can have a longer rest before starting the next circuit.

Circuit One

• 8-12 x Offset kettlebell reverse lunge each side

• 8-12 x Dumbbell incline bench press

• 8-12 x Dumbbell bent over row deadlift combination

• 8-12 x Dumbbell half kneeling shoulder press

• 8-12 x Resistance band mountain climbers

Circuit Two

• 5-8 x Kettlebell Turkish get ups

• 8-12 x Kettlebell side lunge

• 8-12 x Kettlebell renegade row

• 8-12 x Kettlebell squat to upright row

• 8-12 x Resistance band horizontal rotation

As you can see there are no high intensity or explosive exercises to get your heart rate up but the nature of doing each exercise without a rest between will help elevate your heart rate while your session is still focused on the resistance part of training

If strength and hypertrophy training is your main focus and you are either struggling to fit a longer training session in or you would like to get a cardiovascular workout at the same time, then HIRT should become part of your training routine. Remember to give yourself 48 hours recovery between HIRT sessions but you can add alternative training sessions in between the HIRT sessions.

Have fun experimenting with different exercises and routines but remember you should be training at max effort in terms of the weight and reps that you are using. You shouldn’t feel like you could do another set without a good rest.

Written by guest author Brendan McBirnie.

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Tags: Equipment > Dumbbells ; Equipment > Kettlebells ; Exercise Type > Strength ; Misc > Workout